An Analytical Survey of the Narrative of Faramarznameh by Storytellers

Faramarznameh is one of the most valuable and comparatively voluminous epics after Ferdowsi’s Sahnameh. A reflection on the cultural and literary history of Iran demonstrates that there are a lot of narratives about Faramarz in both written and oral forms. Tales of this hero have been preserved in a scattered way in Sahnameh, post-Sahnameh heroic poems, written sources, raconteurs’ narratives and oral ones. There are four oral narratives of post-Sahnameh heroic poems in Kohmareh-Sorkhi, a region in Fars province in Iran two of which, namely Borzunameh and Banugosasbnameh are still rampant among some of storytellers and raconteurs, but the other two, Faramarznameh and Shahryarnameh are abandoned among the native people. These last two are narrated today just by Alihossein Alinejad, the oldest and the most famous raconteur of the mentioned region and the last survivor of the storytellers. The raconteurs’ narrative of Faramarznameh in this area is an amalgam of the epic on one hand and the mythical beliefs of the native people on the other hand. A scrutiny on this narrative will eventuate in recording a narrative that has never been written down before and, moreover, will show some of the mythical beliefs of the people of this region. In the present study an attempt has been made to report the raconteurs’ narrative and, thereafter, examining the similarities and differences between the written version and the raconteurs ’one; It also tries to examine the way through which the beliefs and myths of the native people of the region have affected the raconteurs’ narrative; and finally to discuss the identity of the composer of this work on the basis of raconteurs’ narrative.